Opinion
Editorial

Editorial: Ontario PCs leave no margin for error

If the Progressive Conservatives were looking for a silk purse out of the sow’s ear delivered with the sexual impropriety charges levelled at Patrick Brown and his abrupt resignation as leader, wisdom would dictate proceeding with a caution rarely exhibited.

With the Tory caucus choosing their finance critic, Vic Fedeli, as its interim leader, it had chosen a seasoned entrepreneur and politician, a former two-term mayor of North Bay, who is also respected by all parties at Queen’s Park.

It was so far, so good.

The 200,000-plus card-carrying members of the party could have been made to understand that Job 1 for them was the defeat of the Wynne Liberals.

But the party’s executives decided to put party politics ahead of the mission at hand — even though the June 7 election is just months away, with the dropping of the writ even sooner.

They have decided to throw caution to the wind, and wedge in a full leadership convention before the end of March.

This was the right decision, but was it is a wise one?

It could be a huge unifier and energy booster.

Then again, the Liberals would love nothing more than to have internal PC party dissent and divisiveness thrown into the normal chaos of an election so that to the electorate the Tories will appear unable to run their own party let alone a government.

The Tories already have a solid election plan. It has a platform document honed from months of consultations with the entire membership and beyond.

Are the Tories pressing their luck in holding a full-scale leadership convention prior to the election when their main focus should be on the defeat of the Wynne Liberals?

The party’s executive could have considered an online voting option, for example, and the allowance of a very small window for candidates outside of caucus to make a commitment to run.

But now they have opted for the full Monty, which is ultimately the right and most democratic thing to do.

To toss the Wynne Liberals from office, the Ontario Conservatives must not lose control of themselves between now and the election.